This workshop will examine three of the Five Tribes from eastern Oklahoma. These tribes were among the five slave-holding tribes, that removed to Indian Territory. Today there are numerous records from Indian Removal to Oklahoma Statehood that can be explored to find and to tell their stories. This session will examine three tribes in detail, and look at the unique records that pertain to each of them.

This presentation discuss the methods Char Bah used to locate thousands of descendants of a Civil War Cemetery that had no headstones. This lecture will enhance your research skills in bring the past to the present; and, your knowledge in the community that these individuals once lived in. The methods in this presentation can be used to locate anyone that you are researching especially deceased individuals of a cemetery.

Lloyd’s Shipping Lists, and the allied publications are the go-to resources for information about merchant shipping over 100 tons worldwide since 1696. Lloyd’s of London created its first news sheet in 1696. Its successor Lloyd’s List issued in 1734 was a weekly journal of news about ships arriving in English and Irish ports. The New Lloyd’s List ran as a rival beginning in 1769, and replaced it 1773, dropping New after 1788. The frequency of publication changed to daily with annual indexes, advertisements were introduced in 1854. Lloyd’s Weekly Shipping Index began publication in 1880. Further changes were made especially during WWI and WWI with additional records being created. Shipping records are still being produced. The Lists created by Lloyd’s are the go-to place for shipping over 100 tons worldwide to get information on the vessels, their masters, and their owners. The presentation will show examples of the different records and how to interpret and understand the information contained. We will look at what is online, and where to look when not online. Plus, once identified where can one look for more information about the ships and the people involved.

Japanese began immigrating to the U.S. in large numbers after the implementation of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Explore both conventional and ethnic specific U.S. records as they pertain to those of Japanese ancestry. The time frame ranges from the late 19th century through post-World War II.

The Canadian west was not won by cowboys and guns. The west was won by homesteaders, NWMP (RCMP), and railways. For a $10 registration fee and a lot of hard work a male farmer could have 160 acres of land. Farmers or want-to-be-farmers came from all over. We will use a couple of case studies, search for homestead records, review all the components to understand what the records indicate, convert the data to enter and locate it on Google Maps, and view what the area looks like today. Other records such as Hudson’s Bay Company and RCMP records will be shown.

Abundant records for Census, Church, Court, Land & Property, and Directories make researching in Idaho a productive experience. Online databases for Pre-Territorial Tax Rolls, Old Penitentiary Prison Records, 1882-1961, Wills and Probate Records, 1857-1989, Obituaries, and Historical Newspapers are treasures. True gems are found in the Pioneer Histories, Index of over 75,000 Biographical Sketches, Overland Diaries & Letters, and records for Idaho Indian Tribes described on research facility and American Indian websites.

Discover online records for German-speaking ancestors from Brandenburg, East Prussia, Pomerania, Posen, Silesia, and West Prussia. Despite some record loss for these geographic areas, hundreds of years of church and civil records can be found in archives in Poland, Germany, and the US, using the search strategies in this presentation.

Despite his best efforts, Geoff Rasmussen’s long standing brick wall hasn’t come down yet. John Williams, born in New York City between 1840-1854, was the son of John Williams. Family tradition says that “he was orphaned at the age of 10 and shifted around until he was 16”. Geoff thinks it’s time to add a little genetic genealogy to his plan. On hand to help him develop this DNA plan is DNA expert Diahan Southard. Join us and learn techniques that you can apply to your own family tree.

Everywhere we turn we hear from someone recommending the latest and greatest apps and tools to use in our research. But should we try to use all of them? Some of them? None of them? How do you choose what is best for you? We will go over the research process and help you decide which of your own activities need special tools and which work well with the standard tools we all should use.